If you’re in the market for a used car you’ve probably experienced this scenario while shopping for one. You see a car ad that fits your needs exactly. It’s the right model, year, and color, with all the extra features you want, but it says it's a high mileage car.
The buyer says it is in great shape and the seller is offering it at a fantastic price that is a thousand dollars below what Kelley Blue Book says it is worth. But as you continue looking over the ad, you see something that stops you dead in your tracks: “Over 120,000 miles.”
Suddenly your excitement starts to wane as you struggle with the question, “Should I buy this high mileage car?” As we’ll see there are certain instances where it is a good idea to buy one and other times when it isn’t.
The Good NewsCars that have been manufactured within the last 5 to 10 years are made to last well beyond the 100,000 mile mark. So if you see a car with lots of miles on it, you can still get a pretty decent run with it over the long haul.
But this only holds true if the owner of the vehicle has done all of the recommended car maintenance such as oil changes, air filter changes, tire rotation, and other important car care tasks.
If the car owner has records of this, you’re probably on your way to buying a good, solid, used car.
Ask QuestionsGetting records of the car’s maintenance over the years is a good place to begin in deciding whether a high-mileage car is right for you or not. But there are other questions that should be asked too.
How was the car used? Was it for commuting or just for short trips around town? Has the car been in any accidents, and if so, what sort of damage occurred? Is the seller of the car the original owner or did he/she buy it off of someone else?
These questions help to establish a history for the car and gives clues on how well it was treated during its lifetime. You can also ask if the car has a CarFax for it, which typically shows the accident and title history of the car. If the car doesn't have one, you can get one by logging into Carfax.com and entering the vehicle ID number for a report, which costs around $30.
The Bad NewsWhile some cars may have extensive maintenance records, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the car you are interested in is a gem. In some cases it may actually turn be a lemon.
Certain model cars over the years have reputations for high incidents of repair, breakdowns, or quality issues. Before you buy that cute little Mini, Fiat 500, or loaded Jeep, take note that these cars are consistently on “worst cars to buy” lists.
Do a quick check for the model cars you are interested from Consumer Reports or other respected review organizations and see if they are on the "unreliable" lists.
Source:
Yahoo Autos